› added 7 years ago

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TIL that after he was shot down and captured by the USSR in 1960, CIA pilot Gary Powers tried not to share intelligence with the KGB, but he was hampered by western press. A KGB major stated "there's no reason for you to withhold information. We'll find it out anyway. Your press will give it to us."

Z8ynD TIL that a man working at Kmart in the 80s and 90s saved a collection of cassette tapes that were sent from Kmart's corporate office to be played over the in-store speaker system while people shopped. He later digitized the tapes and uploaded them online where they can be heard today.
4kdp5 TIL: America considers Jesus to be white because a Lebanese man, George Shishim, arguing for his citizenship in federal court in 1909 said that, “If I am a Mongolian, then so was Jesus, because we came from the same land.”
ANAYd TIL, about Poundbury, a town that was built according to the Principles of King Charles III. It started construction in 1993 and is currently 80% built. 4,600 people currently live there.
Bg7Lx TIL: In 1842, John Francis aimed a pistol at Queen Victoria but the gun did not fire and the assailant escaped. The following day, Victoria drove the same route in an attempt to bait Francis into taking a second aim. As expected, Francis shot at her, but he was seized by plainclothes policemen.
80db TIL the first American spy satellites literally dropped their film from space in a “film bucket” that was then scooped up in midair by a plane.